Forever Fall: Arkos
by HaseoAsakura
Summary: The world isn't fair, Hunters always lose loved ones. To some though, it hits a lot harder than others. Three possible endings to the Arkos pair.
1. Forever Fall: Jaune

It had been years since the fall of Salem by Ozpin's hand, but the effects could still be felt in the world they left. It was only with a combined effort that the world would fix itself.

All of team RWBY and JNR managed to go back to school and acquire their huntsman licenses. It was nothing more than formalities, seeing how the two teams managed to help defeat the Queen of the Grimm.

From there, they all took to their own goals. Yang and Blake went on to lead the new White Fang, claiming equality for the faunus while working together with humans.

Weiss managed to use the fame of their efforts and her own experience in business as leverage in reclaiming the SDC.

Ruby scoured the world of Remnant, saving villages and cities alike with the use of her skills and silver eyes.

Ren and Nora took their love in a new direction and married each other. The pair also traveled throughout the world, carrying supplies and medicine to the smaller villages. They hoped to prevent any grimm uprising like the ones that had overtaken Kuroyuri.

All that was left was the blonde knight they all knew and loved. He decided to move back to Argus.

Jaune Arc managed to become a professor in Sanctum Academy, his dream of being a hero finally complete. He was known across the land as the Knight that helped defeat Salem. His face plastered across the news and even across TV.

His family had apologized for their doubt of him and even congratulated him on his achievements. His own father told him he was proud of the man Jaune had become.

Despite all the fame he received, everything had been different for a while- his life lacked the spark he had in Beacon.

When he applied to work at Sanctum, he was accepted on the spot. Who wouldn't accept him? He was essentially the ideal Huntsman, despite his faulty beginnings.

When asked why he chose to teach at Sanctum rather than Haven or even Beacon, Jaune never gave an answer. However watching the blonde knight, no one questioned why he chose to teach there.

Every day, like clockwork the blonde knight would rush out of Sanctum for his lunch break. Like everyday, he needed to fill her in. Today he had plans, but they could all wait until after his break.

The people of Argus would wave at him and he would smile widely for them, greeting them and waving at them. For the Hero in Argus, the fame never changed him and the people were thankful for that.

He held his lunch in its usual container as he headed for the park where she would be waiting for him. Everyday, they met up there and she was always there, waiting for him every time they met up.

He barely made it as he carried himself into the park, his mind gathering his thoughts. He stood in front of her and smiled, like always she was waiting. He liked to think she waited for him alone, but he knew better.

"Hey Pyrrha… I'm back."

The statue of Pyrrha Nikos seemed to look back at the blonde Knight, never feeling the effects of time as her bronzed features continued to watch over the city. He remembered her during their time in Beacon and somehow, years later, her death still managed to bring him to tears. Nowadays, it was only the single tear, but to him it was just as powerful.

"Classes were fun today, the students are getting better. Makes me wish I had taken up Saphron's offer back in the day. She told me she could house me if I wanted to attend Sanctum to pursue my huntsman dream. She also told me I was crazy for wanting that, but she helped as much as she could."

He opened his lunch and looked at the food he had gotten for himself that day. It was a burger from his favorite shop near the Academy. He took a bite of it and turned his attention back to Pyrrha, his mouth emptying it's contents into his stomach.

"Life is going well, Ruby and Yang said they're visiting today or tomorrow. You know how the bullheads are in the air. You can never really depend on them too much."

He laughed to himself. "You, of all people should know how I feel about Bullheads. Thank you very much, but I like my feet on the ground!"

He stopped to take another bite as a woman with vibrant red hair sat with him. At first, the woman had scared Jaune, even the sight of her made him remember her. Pyrrha looked so much like her, but over the years, they managed to get comfortable with each other, even after Jaune telling her of Pyrrha's fate. Jaune knew her well and she would always visit Pyrrha too, after all she was Helena Nikos, Pyrrha's mother.

With his dorky smile, he greeted her as he watched the people in the park. Jaune would always give her privacy, after all she too would talk with Pyrrha. Helena's visits were only to say a quick hello and then left Jaune to "talk" with Pyrrha. As she left, she scooted a bottle of water for the boy and left with a smile on her face.

"Yang is going on about finding someone else for me again. She figured that Octavia would be perfect for me, and I thought she was nice. However it wasn't in the stars. She and I never really got along together, though. Love is fickle Pyrrha, you can't really help who you fall in love with."

He looked down into his burger and continued, "Ruby asked me what I'm looking for in a person, but that's not really fair… I know what I wanted at one point in my life, but now I know I can't have it.

Try as I want, no one compares to that feeling you gave me during our talk in Beacon. During the Vytal Tournament, before your match against Penny, just us talking outside the cafeteria. I felt like my heart was going to jump out of my chest.

That was the moment I fell in love with you, Pyrrha Nikos. That was the moment that hurts to reminisce about.

Thinking back on our time in Beacon, I should have been able to see that you loved me too, but I was scared. You were the perfect Huntress, you were the embodiment of strength and grace! I was just the idiot stuck in the tree!

Yet you saw something in me, something that took me way too long to notice. I became the man you thought I could be, and I have you to thank for that Pyrrha, so thank you. I just wish that you could have seen what you helped make."

Jaune looked at the statue, knowing he would never get a reply from the girl, but he didn't care. It helped him to come and visit her, despite what everyone would say. Everytime he came here, he knew his left hand could feel hers in it. Sometimes, he could have sworn that his aura glowed red briefly instead of his usual white.

He finished his meal and drank his bottle of water. The passing people would smile at him, their eyes filled with a warmth he would never understand. He would always see it on Yang's and Ruby's eyes as well.

Even as he was coming out of the park, both girls were watching him with those eyes. Both hands on her hips as she waited, Yang wrapped one arm around the blonde knight, pulling him close to tease him. "You finish with the missus, lady killer?"

Jaune didn't have much time to react as Ruby hugged him tightly and started to talk about how they needed to watch the new X-ray and Vav movie that was going to come out. Both girls with smiles on their faces, Jaune knew they wanted him to feel better.

Jaune Arc didn't have much to his name as far as material possessions, but he knew he had the best of friends. They always made his life so much better and he was happy with them. In the trying times that had affected them all, his friends helped him move forward.

Despite Yang's protests, he didn't need another love, he was horrible at it. As Ruby lead him away, Yang looked at the statue from the entrance of the park, her smile unfaltering, "I'm sorry Pyrrha, but it looks like not even death can separate you two."


	2. Forever Fall: Pyrrha

**A/N: This time the world is a bit different, the basic question was what if Jaune and Pyrrha switch places in their stories? Have Jaune be the world famous fighter while Pyrrha was new to Hunter life? This is how that possibility turned out for me.**

Pyrrha Nikos stood on the highest hill overlooking the small town of Ansel. It was her spot away from everyone and everything ever since she moved to the town. To her, it was the only place she could go to escape life. Her own family understood why she needed to move.

After the fall of Salem, her job as a Huntress was done. The others spread out and continued their training, saving more and more lives as she knew they would. While she had wanted to be a Huntress, that desire burned out.

She had other things to take care of, one of them being the small town. After all, she owed it to Jaune Arc. She owed it to the Arc family. She was the reason he couldn't.

She could still remember her time in Beacon. She could remember the kindness Jaune showed her. The willingness to train her, even though she never went to any combat school. Her champion's warm smile and warmer embraces. The day that they managed to stumble on going to the dance together, which kickstarted their relationship.

Only one memory soured the lot, the Fall of Beacon, as it was known. It was her most hated memory.

**Flashback Start**

Jaune and Pyrrha stood against Cinder Fall, trying to help Ozpin hold her back. It was only then when Ozpin pointed to the door and screamed, "Get out! Go get Glynda, Qrow, Ironwood, any teacher! Bring them here!"

Jaune tried to disagree, only to be cut off by Ozpin, "You two will only hold me back, you two need to move!" Pyrrha nodded and pushed Jaune towards the exit, his reluctant steps sounded heavy even to her.

They could both hear the battle between what was the completed Maiden and the Headmaster. Pyrrha only wished she could have helped. Jaune might have, but even then, they were only students.

As they ran outside, they could see the whole school on fire, several of the students engaged with Grimm and Atlas tech alike. Jaune took in the scene, his mind running as fast as it could in the moment.

The area lacked any vantage points and the only thing that was near them was a rocket locker someone had summoned to draw their weapons. The second they took a step towards the chaos, an explosion shuddered the tower. A single red light could be seen at the top of the tower, the green energy Ozpin had used gone.

"She's at the top of the tower…"

Pyrrha took out her scroll and started to look for Goodwitch's number. If anyone was able to restore order to the school it would be her. Jaune looked at her and held her shoulders, "Pyrrha, call everyone to make it here. Everyone and anyone, you got me? As team leader, I am ordering you to call for backup."

The order left a strange twinge of pain in her heart. 'Me? Not us?' Without hesitation, his lips claimed hers, in what should have been a blissful moment. She let the feeling of her boyfriend's love wash over her, and that was a mistake.

The moment of levity she felt was broken as he pushed her into the locker and closed the door, tying the door with his armor's leather. His armor fell to the floor, somewhat losing his knightly appearance. He gave her the biggest smile he could as he typed the numbers that sealed her fate.

"I'm really sorry Pyrrha, but this is the only way… I love you so much." The rocket powered locked flew into the sky with her in it, leaving the Champion of Ansel standing alone.

Jaune took a deep breath, calming his nerves as he headed to the tower. His sword cut the doors easily, the eternally sharp blade as new as the moment it was forged. His shield and sword remained the same since they were made, but he had found ways to modify his own fighting style for the family weapon. He only hoped it would protect future Arcs like it did for him.

He sliced the door to Ozpin's office, kicking the doors at the enemy he knew was inside. Almost like she was waiting for him, the doors were flicked to the side by fire? She stood there, levitating above the ground.

Jaune activated his shield and ran in, his eyes scanning the environment. Cinder's voice filled the room, "My my, Ansel's champion, here to play hero?" Jaune charged forward, not wanting to give her any chance to play games with him.

As he closed the gap, she unleashed a torrent of fire. His body reacting to an attack like second nature, his shield came up to block the magic. He could still feel the flames licking his face and legs. He darted to the side, his mind racing. She kept her smile on her face as she commanded more fire. Every flick of her wrist conjured more fire at him, Jaune jumping out of the way of whatever flames he could. He couldn't waste time.

He threw his sword at her, granting him a small window of time. CInder stopped attacking in order to flick the sword into the ground in front of her. Without missing a beat, Jaune exploited his window as he bashed into the Maiden with his shield, picking up his sword from the floor.

The Maiden landed and quickly shot towards him, fire erupting from her feet. Jaune moved his sword to absorb what he thought was a frontal attack, but as soon as his shield came up, her foot caught the shield and kicked it away from him, her second foot burying itself into Jaune's chest, knocking him back to the wall of the office.

'_She's unnaturally strong! Change tactics!'_ he thought.

With that, his shield collapsed and he started to pour his aura into it. He knew he had like a minute before plan B was charged. As he stood on his two feet, the maiden was already fire blasting her way towards him. While a more nimble fighter would have scaled the wall in order to redirect the momentum of her charge, Jaune was not that nimble.

Instead, he waited until the last moment when her body would crash into his and wrapped an arm around hers. His body sidestepped her, but his right hand gripped her forearm and using his left hand pushed Cinder forward, whatever she had planned for that charge came to a screeching halt as he face smashed into the wall she had tried to pin Jaune to.

The moment she bounced off the wall, Jaune repaid that kick that had sent him to the wall to begin with. Not wanting to give her time to recover, his body moved towards her, which seemed like a good idea, seeing how she recovered from his kick in midair and flipped back onto her feet before she landed.

Jaune could see her eyes widen a bit from the closeness of her enemy, not having expected a sudden punch from the sword and shield carrying knight. She rolled away from the punch, causing said attack to lose some of its power, but immediately countered with her own fire blast, causing the knight to stagger back a bit.

In what was seconds, Cinder had summoned her own twin blades and slashed downwards at Jaune, his aura tanking the blow, but the momentum from the attack also let Cinder do a frontal flip and kick the boy back, separating them once more.

"Insolent brat!" Jaune heard her and immediately followed the voice back to the owner.

Seeing his sword sheath/shield shining, he pressed the shield's button to extend the sheath to a shield, but held the button down, letting him spin the sheath so that the open side was pointing away from him. He grabbed his arm and steadied it, the aura that he had stored inside of it shooting out much like one would fire a gun. Instead of a bullet though, he fired condensed aura in what Ruby had continuously called a "super shot".

Cinder was a quick shot, using her fire abilities to try and block out the aura shot. Unfortunately Jaune's shot was too powerful, causing the Maiden to yell out in pain she was knocked back by the attack. Like before, fire erupted from her hands and feet, pushing her forward while Jaune sprung forward, both of them clashing in the middle of the office.

Both of them stuck in a power struggle to see whose strength would fade faster. Cinder's flame coated fists were matched by Jaune's shield. Jaune was distracted as he heard the Dragon Grimm flying towards them. He knew his semblance would help, but he doubted his ability to tank a dragon crashing into him. Cinder took the opportunity, and smashed her fist to his face, creating a small shockwave across the office.

The dragon flew overhead, ripping the top of Beacon tower off what the newly weakened structure. Jaune crashed into what remained of one of the walls. Even though he had an aura, that attack still shook his entire system.

Cinder, not taking chances with the boy, shot out a stream of flames that covered Jaune. He could feel his aura tanking quickly, he knew he had to move, lest the flames consume him. His feet moved him across the way, fireballs trailing only slightly behind him. Jaune undid the strap around the shield part of Crocea Mors and punched it to Cinder, his aura boosting his physical attributes for the next part of his plan.

Cinder knocked the shield out of the sky with her powers, only to see the owner, right behind it sword slashing down at her. The hit knocked her out of the air, Jaune quickly picking up his shield from the floor and closing the gap between them.

'_I can't let her separate us again. Any distance she has on me is too much!'_

Cinder's reaction with her twin swords was second nature as the two started to clash at much closer intervals than before. Any of Cinder's attacks died on Jaune's shield but Crocea Mors was constantly being parried as well.

Just like before, they were in a stalemate. It was at this moment that Cinder's fire abilities flared up again, knocking her opponent back once more. The crash caused his aura to shatter, leaving him defenseless.

This time there was no mercy as she made a bow and arrow out of glass and let it soar through the air, impaling the young knight. Jaune struggled to get up, his mind screaming to move as Cinder moved closer, but his body felt extremely heavy. In a few steps, Cinder brought them together and tilted his head up to look at her.

"What a shame. Such wonderful power, you had so much potential. Don't worry about it though, you could never match a Maiden. I'll enjoy burning down everything in this school, starting with that girl that escaped with you."

Jaune moved his head from her hand, his pain clearly visible. Her hand rested on Jaune's head instead, the biggest smirk she ever had was on her face.

At that moment, Ruby had just finished climbing Beacon Tower, thanks to Weiss' glyphs and Pyrrha's call. As soon as she arrived, she saw her fellow team leader, gasping for breath.

'_Pyrrha…'_ Jaune thought.

Jaune could feel himself drift away, only managing to hear his name one last time.

"JAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Then nothing but white.

**Flashback End**

So lost in her thoughts, that Pyrrha didn't notice the three people coming up behind her. "I brought them over!" shouted a blonde girl that was escorting Blake and Weiss.

Blake waved at her while Weiss seemed concerned about her. "Are you okay Pyrrha?" She nodded, trying to relieve her friends. Weiss looked at her, not wanting to make her sad, thus deciding to change the topic. "Is this blonde one of your students Pyrrha?" Emerald eyes looked over to the blonde in question before speaking, "Yea, she is. This is Athena Arc."

Blake nodded, "Figured she was, she's carrying Crocea Mors with her, so figured she had to be an Arc." Weiss put a hand on the young Arc's shoulder, "You want to be a Huntsman like your uncle Jaune?"

Athena's head tilted in confusion, "I only have one uncle, and that's uncle Ren." Now Blake and Weiss looked at the girl in confusion,

Before either one of them could speak anymore, Athena put her finger to her lips, attempting to shush them both. With said motion, she looked back to Pyrrha as she moved to the only tombstone on the hill. She kneeled in front of it and left a yellow flower in front of it as an offering. Blake and Weiss snapped out of their confusion and approached Pyrrha, coming close enough to the tombstone to read the inscription:

**Here Lies Jaune Arc**

**Champion of Ansel, Beacon Student, Hero**

"**An Arc Never Goes Back On Their Word"**

Blake's eyes widened and Weiss placed her hand over her mouth. Weiss looked at the flower, whispering to Blake. "Does that flower mean anything?" Blake nodded and whispered back, "That's Valean Honeysuckle, alone it's just a yellow flower. Symbolically it means everlasting love/devotion."

Pyrrha heard them and started to talk, "You always asked why I never left Ansel or why I never tried moving on. The answer is simple, destiny brought us together, destiny took him away from me, but he left me something to remember him by. I had my soulmate already, he was my everything. How do you move on from that?"

Athena sensed what was about to happen and hugged Pyrrha, her voice breaking, "Mom… tell me the story about how you and dad met again."

Pyrrha looked at her daughter, cheeks wet from her tears, the happy memories coming back once more, "Well, it all started when I got off the bullhead at Beacon, and I saw that messy mop of blonde hair..."


	3. Forever Fall: Arkos

**A/N: Thank you everyone for reading! These were small ideas that were bouncing around in my head! I may do something like this for other pairings, but that's to be decided later! Let me know what you thought of the stories! **

Athena Arc wasn't scared of many things. She should take on hordes of Grimm, battle the best at Beacon, and even manage to stare down Professor Goodwitch herself. Granted this never helped her situation, but she could do it. She knew Crocea Mors and her own will were enough to overcome any obstacle. However there was one thing that could shake the confidence from her no matter the occasion.

That something was a certain red haired gladiator walking down the hall towards her. Every student knew of her, and knew to fear her when she was angry, and boy was she angry. She had many monikers, some deserved, others proved daily.

Invincible Girl, The Best of Beacon, Wife, Mother, Trainer, The Unstoppable Warrior, Huntress of Fire, but right now she was only Pyrrha Arc-Nikos, mother of Athena. Athena could tell she wasn't there to visit her, she had visited just last week.

Knowing her, though her mother wouldn't wait long before she told her the reason of her appearance. Pyrrha spoke softly, sparing her the embarrassment of the other students teasing her about getting chewed out by her mother, "Athena, dear, why am I being summoned to the Headmaster's office because of you?"

Her words were kind and sweet sounding, except her tone killed any comfort she may have given. "I won an award?" she tried hopefully. By the look on her mother's face, she wasn't buying it. Pyrrha's hand wrapped around Athena's wrist and started to drag her to the Headmaster's office.

She had one card to play, to at least mitigate any further damage and by the gods she would play it. She just needed a victim. Luckily she found her target. Ling Ren was coming up in the hall and they would pass him in a moment.

"Mom! Ling doesn't believe the Professor Port when he claims students can change the world for the better!" Ling turned to see the blonde and the redhead dragging her, "What?!"

His calm expression immediately changed, knowing what Athena had done. His Auntie Pyrrha always had a sore spot about students being able to change the world, because teams RWBY and JNPR had managed to save the world before. Pyrrha's attention was turned to the young boy. Emerald eyes met turquoise, as Pyrrha sat him down. "Then do I have a story for you."

**Flashback Start **

Pyrrha Nikos and Jaune Arc had managed to escape the newly made whole Maiden, leaving the Headmaster to fight her off himself. Jaune took his orders seriously, calling Goodwitch immediately, while Pyrrha called Weiss from team RWBY, hoping she would pick up their scrolls.

Jaune spoke first, Goodwitch having answered, "Glynda! Ozpin is fighting some lady with fire magic at Beacon tower! Ozpin told us to call you! Hurry!" Both of them could hear Glynda, "We'll be there in ten minutes!"

Pyrrha's call never connected, Weiss' scroll sending Pyrrha to voicemail. "We need to do something, this can't be all we can do." Jaune mumbled. Without knowing, those words sealed their fates. Pyrrha looked at the object of her affections and had already decided what to do.

She took Jaune's head in her hands and kissed him, hoping that her feelings would reach him in one way or another. "Pyrrha…" His voice was weak and in shock, but that would make the next part easier. Her semblance active, she was about to push Jaune into the open rocket launcher behind him, but instead found herself being thrown into it herself.

"Jaune?!" He closed the door and sighed, "The world needs a hero, Pyrrha. Survive and be that Hero, I'll hold her off long enough for help to arrive."

Pyrrha cried out, "No Jaune! Don't do this!"

He quickly typed the numbers in order to get the rocket power locker to activate. Jaune ran into the building alone, the boy stuck in the tree trying to be a hero. Pyrrha knew he would try, after all an Arc never goes back on their word.

Jaune pushed his body up the stairs, cutting the door open. Pushing down the doors, Jaune saw the new minted Maiden, Cinder, seemingly talking to a Dragon Grimm?

It wasn't long before she noticed him, "The bravest in Beacon is the class disappointment? You won't even last a minute against the power of a Maiden." Jaune swallowed his nerves and shook his head, " I'll last as long as I have to!"

Entering the office, the atmosphere changed, she was measuring him up, only showing she was done when her lips formed a smirk. Raising her hand, she began her attack. Jaune dove out of the way of a stream of fire, scrambling to get up from the floor like Pyrrha showed him.

By the time he rolled back and got on his feet, another torrent of flames was already going his way. His shield took the hit, but he could still feel the power of the flames. He could tell she was hardly trying, but the flames were pushing him back.

Jaune couldn't sit there and expect her to lessen her assault so he pushed his shield and himself forward towards the levitating fire lady that was trying to kill him. Once he closed the gap, he took his chance and swung his sword at her.

With a simple side-step she dodged him, giving Jaune a punch in the face for his efforts. While Jaune was stunned for that moment, Cinder placed her palm against his chest and with her powers, knocked Jaune from the center of Ozpin's office to the wall.

Jaune fell to the floor, Crocea Mors following suit. Then he heard Cinder, "Why not join me? You could be so much more than this. I can lead you to power you can only dream of!"

Jaune shook his head, "I won't betray my friends!" Cinder sighed as she looked at the young knight in disappointment, "You're a special breed…"

Fire propelling her forward, she charges at Jaune. He, in turn, charges hoping to meet her head on with his shield. Unfortunately, Cinder changes her course and flies over Jaune, her hand grabbing the hoodie and throwing him into the wall once more.

The force of the throw was enough for Jaune to bounce away from the wall, letting Cinder grab him again, this time throwing him to the center of the room. He rolled onto his feet, his lungs trying to reclaim the air that was pushed out of them with the wall hit.

She picked him up effortlessly, taunting him as she did, "Beacon's finest… I can see why it was so easy to bring down this school." Jaune's eyes widen as he hears the roar of the Dragon Grimm and then turns to look at Cinder, her smug grin etched on her face.

Doing the only thing he could think of, his sword slashes upwards at her. Overconfidence being his ally, his sword connects with her aura, moving her back, her hand letting him go. As soon as his feet touch the floor, Jaune pushes his shield into her chest knocking the woman back.

While she recovers from the attack, the dragon slammed into the building, throwing Jaune back and tearing the roof off the office. Cinder smiled as she noticed Jaune on the floor.

"Perfect, you finally learned where you belong, by my feet."

The dragon roared again, this time was different. Something was nagging at Cinder's nerves, but she couldn't figure it out. Then she noticed Jaune look at her, quickly curling into a ball.

"Cowering in fear already? I expected more."

Jaune kept himself as small as a ball as he could, after seeing what was approaching them. He saw a real danger, a rocket locker coming his way. From what he could see, there was a long tail of red poking out of it and emerald eyes that promised much more than just pain.

The entire locker surrounded by a black glow alerted him that he shouldn't have placed Pyrrha in a METAL container before his grand heroic sacrifice. He hoped he could live to regret that decision.

Pyrrha jumped out, landing behind Cinder, the locker slamming into her. With a roll, Pyrrha got back onto her feet, Milo turning into its rifle form. Cinder crashed into the wall, thanks to the locker, but it was swiftly knocked away with her maiden power.

Those powers failed to tank the rounds Pyrrha had fired immediately for her trouble. Pyrrha started to flank her, Milo turning back into a sword. Cinder's attention was focused on the new fighter that was closing the distance, launching herself around to not give her a chance to get closer.

Jaune saw the chance and bashed her back with all the force he could. Sending her flying back to Pyrrha that proceeded to tear into her aura with her weapons. Jaune knew he was too weak to cause damage, but now with Pyrrha joining the fight? He no longer needed to fight himself, all he had to do was set up the better fighter.

Jaune joined Pyrrha, standing next to each other, their attacks intertwining perfectly. As Jaune swiped high with Crocea Mors, Milo's piercing spear protected him. As twin swords came to intercept Milo, it would always be met with twin crescents of gold. As flames threatened to consume them, both shields answered the threats.

Jaune watched her as she came closer swinging her twin swords on both of them. Pyrrha's training came in, almost as second nature as he brought up his shield to block it. It seemed like Cinder was waiting on that though, as the sword strike never hit, instead a low sweep knocked both Pyrrha and Jaune into the air and with another kick, both were launched in separate directions.

A wall of fire further stopped the two from regrouping. Unfortunately, the Maiden was not targeting him and dashed after Pyrrha. Jaune jumped over the fire, trying to help when he saw the battle between the two.

Blades slicing into aura, and fire taxing the body more than it should. That's when he saw Pyrrha's aura flicker.

'_She must have overtaxed her aura, coming up to protect me…'_

Without a second thought, Jaune moved in to help. As Cinder's blades came down on Pyrrha, Jaune jumped in, his aura tanking the hit while letting Crocea Mors get another free shot.

"I may not be good for much, but I can take a beating like no one else." Cinder moved back, dodging the shield bash, but returning fire with her bow and arrow. Her aim wasn't for Jaune though. Pyrrha threw Milo in an attempt to further damage her, but the arrow opened up and allowed the spear through, being deflected by the Maiden while the arrow landed its target causing Pyrrha to groan in pain as the arrow pierced her ankle.

Jaune's eyes widened as he saw Pyrrha fall to the floor, his attention diverted that he didn't notice when Milo returned thanks to CInder. The spear pinned him to the only wall that was still standing as Pyrrha was left unguarded.

She tried to get up, only for her leg to give out with the slightest of weight. Cinder made her way to her, Jaune trying to struggle out of the spear's grip with no luck. Cinder smiled as she gloated, "Such a shame, you were promised a power that was never really yours. Take comfort in the knowledge that I will use it in ways you could never even dream of."

Jaune started to flail as hard as he could, seeing Cinder's bow and arrow coming back and Pyrrha taking labored breaths. Milo gave up and fell to the floor along with Jaune.

The only sound he heard was Pyrrha's gasp, turning to her did no favor as Pyrrha's heart had the arrow he wished he could have stopped in her. Jaune had caught Cinder's attention as her smug smile turned to him.

"I'll let you two comfort each other one last time before I end you both." She moved away from Pyrrha, moving towards the wall that she had pinned Jaune to.

The grimm dragon had landed on said wall. Jaune took Milo with him, unaware of Akouo being next to his landing spot. Jaune dashed towards his partner, the two arrows disappearing just as easily as they appeared.

"Jaune…" She slumped forwards, Jaune intercepting her fall to the floor. His head rested on Pyrrha's while her forehead was leaning against his shoulder.

Tears started to fall as he held Pyrrha, "You can't die on me… This is why I sent you away! I knew this would happen! Please Pyrrha, I can't lose you! Don't do this! I give you my word as an Arc I'll do anything you want, just please don't die on me! Please… I'm not strong enough alone…"

Cinder had long since stopped paying attention to them. Her attention was on controlling the Grimm dragon. She knew she had to coax the dragon to stay for her plan to work, and the time the lovers would take to say goodbye seemed like a fitting time to finish the job.

Jaune sobbed into Pyrrha's hair, hoping for a miracle. Then a white light started to shine. Jaune looked down to notice that the white light was enveloping Pyrrha, her wounds started to close. His eyes widened as he noticed that the light was coming from him, almost as if he was pouring his aura into her.

'_Is this my semblance?!'_

Pyrrha's breathing returned, a smile on her face as she stared into pools of tear filled blue. Jaune felt his own aura dip, almost drained himself. The white light stopped as his aura was near empty. Pyrrha put up a finger to her lips as she noticed that Cinder was still busy with the dragon, noting where her shield was.

Even though her aura was in shambles, it was still enough for her final attack. She coated her semblance on all the metal on the roof, and with a flick of her wrist slammed Akouo into the Maiden.

Jaune could see Cinder's eyes widened as she was launched into the air, only to be met with falling metal, everything slamming into her. A flicker of hope came over Jaune as he noticed a shattering aura under all the metal. This hope was crushed as all the metal exploded outwards towards them, launching them back.

Jaune could hear his aura and Pyrrha's barely restarted aura shatter.

The Maiden made her fury known, "You two really think you can defeat a Maiden?! Save the day and go home?! I'll burn you two here, but don't worry. No one will mourn you. That would imply there will be people that knew you left alive!"

With those words, she summoned all the power she had left and Jaune could only watch as it exploded out towards them. His mind raced and he did the only thing that occurred to him, Grabbing Akouo and Crocea Mors, the two teenagers shielded one another, their bodies screaming to rest.

The massive power of the Fall Maiden shook their weary bodies. Jaune turned to Pyrrha and held her close, their shields overlapping slightly, the effect slightly mitigated. Jaune knew Cinder could keep her assault a lot longer than they could shield, but he was going to try anyways! The dragon grimm flew into the sky once more, leaving Cinder alone.

The wall started to crack from the damage it had taken and from the weight of the dragon. Without warning, the wall fell on the Maiden, stopping her attack and knocking her down. Both students were grateful for their good luck, their bodies about to shut down from exhaustion.

A red cloak swayed in the wind as a scythe user passed the couple, his voice gruff, but at the same time smug. "Seems like you had a bit of bad luck, huh?" With the sound of a certain riding crop, both kids knew their help had arrived.

**Flashback End**

"From that point on, the school's defenses came back up and we managed to help save the school from being overrun with Grimm! So work hard with your team and you guys can help save the world too!"

Ling Ren just idly nodded, knowing his aunt's story went so much faster if he nodded along. With a subtle tug, Pyrrha stood him up and smiled brightly, her previous rage almost vanished.

In a single glance, Pyrrha looked at her daughter, wings of flames appearing on her eyes, "Back to you, dear daughter. Your little distraction won't help you this time."

Athena's senses raised every red flag, "RUN!"

Pyrrha dragged the poor girl to the Headmasters office, both of them entering quickly. The headmaster grew a smile. "Oh good, Mrs. Arc, you made it! I wanted to talk to you about Ms. Arc."

Pyrrha smiled as the wings died down, a smile growing on her lips as well. "Oh? What did she do this time?" The headmaster towered over both of them, his eyes looking over his guests.

"Maybe it'll be better to discuss this over lunch?" Pyrrha gasped playfully, "What would my husband say about having lunch with the Headmaster of my daughter's school?"

She was met with a shrug, "I'm sure he'll be fine." Pyrrha held out her hand, the headmaster taking it, leading her outside. "After all, I still need to keep my promise to you."

Athena sighed then smiled, "By the gods, all this for a date?" With a quick glance at the Headmaster's desk she straightened his plaque, following them out.

Beacon Headmaster

Jaune Arc-Nikos


End file.
